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Summary
Power planes are special solid copper internal layers, typically used to provide an electrically stable ground or power reference throughout the PCB.
The PCB Editor supports up to 16 internal power planes. You can assign a net to each of these layers or share a power plane between a number of nets by splitting it into two or more isolated areas. Pad and PCBs are normally fabricated from an even via connections to power planes are controlled by the Plane number of copper layers, design rules. Power planes are created in the negative. Objects placed on the power plane layer become voids in the copper, the remaining regions will become solid copper.
so you may need to add another signal or plane layer to return to an even number of layers.
Plane Basics
Creating Internal Planes
Internal power planes are added to a PCB design through the Layer Stack Manager dialog (Design Layer Stack Manager). To add a new internal plane, highlight the existing layer that you want the internal layer created under and press Add Plane. A new internal plane is added to the layer stack. To set or edit the properties of the new internal plane, doubleclick on the new internal layer name to change the name, copper thickness, net name and pullback via the Edit Layer dialog. Use the Delete button to remove an internal plane.
Viewing Planes
To view an internal plane, including power types, you must display the plane layer first by enabling the Show option in the View Configurations dialog (Design Board Layers & Colors) for that layer. Click the power plane layer tab, for example, at the bottom of the workspace. If necessary, select Tools Split Planes Rebuild Planes on Current Layer / Rebuild Split Planes on All Layers to recalulate and redraw planes. You may find displaying the pad holes layer and multilayer useful as well. Use the SHIFT + S shortcut keys to toggle various Single Layer Mode settings that help highlight objects of interest. In 3D viewing mode [shortcut: 3] you can see physical representations of all internal plane objects. Further to viewing, the 3D environment enables you to travel right through the board, making true internal planes inspection very easy. If you click on an internal plane, the entire area within the pullback tracks is highlighted. You
3D view of a thermal relief connection on a split plane.
can also select internal planes and their contents to view using the Split Plane Editor mode available from the list at the top of the PCB panel.
Note: There are limitations to the type of thermal relief shape when a design is output as Gerber files. Two spoke thermal relief connections are not natively supported by the Gerber format RS-274X and so any two spoke thermal reliefs will be converted to four spokes.
Fabrication Considerations
Check with your fabricator for suitable dimensional properties for any thermal relief connections. Also check that pads or vias that do no connect do not completely surround a connected pad as this may accidentally cause the connected pad to become isolated and disconnected. Ensure not too much copper is removed and that a balance is struck between maximum copper and affordable manufacture.
Scoping Specific Pads & Vias that do not Connect to a Power Plane
To disconnect, for example, only pads with a specific designator name starting with U7-, you could use the (ObjectKind = 'Pad') and (Name Like 'U7-*') query to set the scope for a Power Plane Connect Style design rule. The connection style would be set to No Connect. Another query such as (ObjectKind = 'Pad') and (HoleSize = 25) would target only those pads with a hole size of 25mils. When working with vias you do not wish to connect, you could modify vias to contain a special property to uniquely identify them, such as a different via diameter, and then scope a new Power Plane Connect Style design rule with a No Connect connection style to match only those vias. The query (ObjectKind = 'Via') And (ViaDiameter = '24') could be used to target vias with a diameter of 24mil, for example. The query InNet(VCC) and IsVia could be used to target just vias that are attached to the net VCC. Alternatively, if you cannot select vias using the methods above, you can convert them to free pads and then use pad names to set the scope. To do this, select the vias you do not wish to connect, convert them to free pads (Tools Convert Convert Selected Vias to Free Pads) and assign the same Designator name to them all, e.g. NoPlaneConnect. Then add a new Power Plane Connect Style design rule and specify the scope (ObjectKind = 'Pad') and (Name = 'Free-NoPlaneConnect') for the rule. Also select No Connect as the Connect Style. All free pads named NoPlaneConnect will be disconnected from all of the power plane layers.
Split Planes
A split plane is an enclosed region on an internal plane that divides the plane into separate electrically isolated areas. Each region is defined by placing boundary lines to encompass all the pins on that net. Each area is then assigned to a different net which creates two or more split planes on the one internal power plane layer. Power planes can be split into any number of separate regions. This splitting process is like cutting or slicing the plane into sections where the width of the line you place defines the separation distance. Power planes are constructed in the negative, so these special boundary lines become a strip of nocopper, thereby creating the separation between this net and the adjacent net(s) on the plane. Typically, the net with the greatest number of pads is first assigned to the internal plane, then regions are defined (split off) for the other nets that you wish to connect via this plane. Any pads which cannot be encompassed in the split plane region continue to display a connection line, indicating that they must be connected on a signal layer. Split power planes are fully supported by the Design Rule Checker. However, they are not recognized by Signal Integrity as the power plane is assumed to be a continuous copper layer in Signal Integrity. Netlist extraction in the CAM Editor does not support Altium Designer mode split planes because it is unable to define the polyline that describes each region.
To divide a power plane into two split planes, you can draw a line Check with your fabricator if you straight across the board from pullback track to pullback track. As are unsure of minimum nolong as the lines connect to the pullback tracks, they will form an copper regions. isolated area and therefore create the polygon type object that identifies the split plane. Make sure the lines connect; the cursor changes to a large circle in a cross when lines connect. You can create an enclosed shape out of the lines, arcs and fills to define an unusually shaped split plane. You can also use existing lines, arcs, fills or tracks on the internal layer to form part of the boundary; as long as they connect to form an enclosed area, a split plane is formed.
The color of the split plane is a darker, semi-translucent shade of the net color. Change the net colors by selecting Nets in the PCB panel and double-clicking on a net name to display the Edit Net dialog.
net on a power plane layer, you have to create a very thin island of copper that is the size of the track you want to use. By creating a boundary of lines around the area that will act like a track (Place Line), you create a split plane that can then be assigned to the net required. Alternatively, if there are a number of connections to be routed on the same layer as the plane, it is probably more efficient to use a signal layer to route the connections and then use a polygon plane (copper pour) to create the power plane.
Broken Planes
Broken planes occur when an area of the plane that has connectivity to the net becomes electrically disconnected from the rest of the plane. An example where this may occur is a connector that is placed across a split plane, but not connected to it. The voids around the pins join to completely cut through the plane copper, effectively breaking it into two parts.
Dead Copper
Dead copper refers to sections of copper that have no connectivity to the net and which also become electrically disconnected from the original plane. An example where this may occur is a connector (not connected to the plane) with closely spaced pins, in which the voids around the pins join to isolate areas of plane copper from the rest of the plane.
Notes
Split plane DRC checks are Batch mode only. You need to run Batch DRC again to remove error markers or use Tools Reset Error Markers. Recalculate and redraw internal planes after editing by selecting Tools Split Planes Rebuild Planes on Current Layer / Rebuild Split Planes on All Layers. Broken planes and dead copper checks require the Un-Routed Net rule (Electrical category) to be Batch enabled.
Starved thermal connection showing DRC error Version (v1.3) Apr 17, 2008
Revision History
Date 9-Dec-2003 19-July-2005 17-Dec-2007 17-Apr-2008 11-Apr-2011 Version No. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Revision New product release Updated for Altium Designer Minor update for AD 6.9 Converted to A4 and additional split plane DRC report options for Summer 08. Updated template.
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